Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

सूर्यपुत्र्या समेता च तत्त्रिसंगम उच्यते । अनयोरंतरे सूक्ष्मे तत्र गुप्ता सरस्वती

Transliteration

sūryaputryā sametā ca tattrisaṃgama ucyate | anayoraṃtare sūkṣme tatra guptā sarasvatī

Translation

Unie à la Fille du Soleil (Yamunā), cela est appelé le Trisaṅgama. Entre ces deux, d’une manière subtile, Sarasvatī y demeure cachée.

Word by Word

• सूर्यपुत्र्या: with the Sun’s daughter (Yamunā)
• सूर्यपुत्र्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य-पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सूर्यस्य पुत्री)

• समेता: joined/associated
• समेता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-इ (धातु) → समेत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ सर्वनाम

• त्रिसंगमः: the confluence of three
• त्रिसंगमः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (त्रयाणां सङ्गमः)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• अनयोः: of/between these two
• अनयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विवचनार्थे षष्ठी/सप्तमी (6th/7th), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम (of these two/between these two)

• अन्तरे: in the interval/between
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• सूक्ष्मे: subtle
• सूक्ष्मे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb: there)

• गुप्ता: hidden
• गुप्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप् (धातु) → गुप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller) addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trisaṅgama (with guptā Sarasvatī)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā and Yamunā meet in visible currents; between them a faint, translucent third stream glows—Sarasvatī as a subtle ribbon of light; priests pour water offerings while chanting Sarasvatī invocations; the scene emphasizes the invisible made perceptible through devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Trisaṅgama
• Yamunā (Sūryaputrī)
• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred can be both manifest and hidden; unseen sanctity (guptā Sarasvatī) is still fully efficacious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Trisaṅgama (threefold confluence) within Prabhāsa, featuring the motif of the hidden Sarasvatī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit instruction; the identification of the triveṇī supports snāna and offerings as customary tīrtha practice.